Cutbacks restricting career guidance

THE legal rights of teen-agers to appropriate career and education guidance are being restricted by government cutbacks, the head of the country’s guidance counsellors has said.

Since January, second-level schools have had limits placed on the number of hours of supervision substitution is allowed per week to cover teacher absences on official business or on uncertified sick leave.

Institute of Guidance Counsellors (IGC) president Eilis Coakley said the cutbacks in supervision have made it impossible for guidance counsellors tied into blocked timetables to be released at all.